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Barnes & Noble Reports 6.6% Decrease in Holiday Sales

The Barnes & Noble retail segment, which includes traditional brick-and-mortar stores and BN.com, released its 2013 holiday sales results which show a 6.6% decline compared to last year.

According to a press release issued by Barnes & Noble, the bookseller equates the decrease to a 5.5% decline in comparable sales and store closures. The merchant also said core comparable bookstore sales, which exclude sales of NOOK products, decreased .2% compared to the 2012 holiday season.

The NOOK segment, which includes digital content, devices and accessories, saw revenues of $125 million for the nine-week holiday period, decreasing 60.5% compared to 2012, according to the release.

In total, Barnes & Noble made $1.1 billion for the 2013 holiday, including $88.7 million earned from device and accessories sales, which was a decrease of 66.7%, and $36.5 million earned in digital content sales, which was a decline of 27.3%, according to the release.

While Barnes & Noble saw a decline in sales compared to the 2012 holiday season, Michael P. Huseby, the newly appointed CEO, said in the release that he was “pleased” with the results “especially our core comparable bookstore sales, which were essentially flat and an improvement as compared to the first half of the year.”

As for 60% decline in NOOK sales, Huseby said it was “because during the previous holiday season the company introduced two new tablet products, while no new tablets were introduced this year,” Michael P. Huseby continued.